BROWNSVILLE – Eight students from Southwest Tennessee Electric discovered how 900 words can change everything after attending the 2026 Washington Youth Tour. Faith Tate from Brighton High School, Amber Taylor from Chester County High School, and Lillian Rutledge, Leliahanna Taylor, Keira Warren, Wyatt Butcher, Avonlea Haynes, and Cecilia Chambers, all from Munford High School were among the 140 other student delegates from Tennessee who attended the weeklong trip, June 12-19.

“Washington Youth Tour was an unforgettable experience,” said Faith Tate, student from Brighton High School. “I had the opportunity to meet students from across the state and country, learn firsthand about our nation’s history and government and directly see how electric co-ops invest in young leaders. I’m incredibly grateful to Southwest Tennessee Electric for this trip.”

All eight students participated in and won the Electric Cooperative Creative Writing Contest. It’s available to students enrolled as high school juniors and who live in an electric co-op service area. The students wrote a short story of 900 words explaining how co-ops are “Energizing Every Moment” by providing communities with energy, education, broadband, economic development and more. By showing the benefits of cooperative power, the students joined 2,000 other students from across the country in Washington, D.C. for the Washington Youth Tour.

Each day of the Washington Youth Tour brought more impressive sights, opportunities for photos and lots of memories with other students who became lifelong friends. Among some of those activities were a tour of Monticello, the Smithsonian, Mt. Vernon and numerous monument tours including the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial and the World War II Memorial. Delegates also toured the capitol and met representatives from Tennessee who advocate for electric co-ops and their communities. Other highlights included visiting the Spy Museum, seeing the Sunset Parade, viewing the musical “Mean Girls at Toby’s Theater and watching the changing of the guard followed by the wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

“Electric cooperatives are committed to investing in the next generation, and Washington Youth Tour is one of the most impactful ways we do that,” said BJ Bernard, vice president of member services for the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association and tour director. “The trip combines leadership development, education and relationship-building in a way that leaves a lasting impression on students.”

The Washington Youth Tour began in the late 1950s. President Lyndon B. Johnson inspired the trip and since then, more than 6,000 students from Tennessee have participated in this fast-paced leadership opportunity. TECA and the member-owned electric cooperatives across the state are proud to sponsor this unique learning experience and help shape the next generation of informed, engaged citizens.

Southwest Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation provides energy to more than 50,000 residential and commercial consumers in Chester, Crockett, Fayette, Hardeman, Haywood, Henderson, Lauderdale, Madison, McNairy, Shelby, and Tipton counties. We are a not-for-profit, consumer-owned cooperative whose purpose is to deliver safe, reliable, and affordable energy through innovation and a people-first culture. We exist to power thriving communities and enhance the quality of life of every member we serve.

The Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association provides leadership, advocacy and support for Tennessee’s 23 electric cooperatives and publishes The Tennessee Magazine, the state’s most widely circulated monthly periodical. Visit tnelectric.org or tnmagazine.org to learn more.